Significance: Mueller matrix polarimetry can provide useful information about the function and structure of the extracellular matrix. A portable and low-cost system could facilitate the clinical assessment of cervical anomalies in low-resource settings.

Aim: We introduce a low-cost snapshot Mueller matrix polarimeter that does not require external power, has no moving parts, and can acquire a full Mueller matrix in ∼1  s, to conduct a feasibility study for cervical imaging in the low-resource setting.

Approach: A snapshot system based on two sets of Savart plates, a ring illuminator with polarizing elements (generating four polarization states), and one camera is introduced. Stokes vectors are formulated to recover the polarization properties of the sample. Then, using Mueller matrix decomposition, the depolarization and retardance information is extracted.

Results: We report the results on 16 healthy individuals (out of 22 patients imaged), whose Pap smear showed no malignant findings from mobile clinics in rural region of Mysore, India. The depolarization and retardance information was in agreement with previous reports.

Conclusions: We introduce an imaging system and conducted a feasibility study on healthy individuals. This work could futurely translate into diagnostic applications to provide a quantitative platform in the clinical environment (e.g., cervical cancer screening).